1 - Orsen
six years earlier
Notes of tart berries filtered through the salty air, pulling Nova's attention from the fish swimming just out of reach of her still hands. She raised her head, leaning into the warm breeze that whipped across the river and wrapped her in the intoxicating new scent. The temptation to leave the water and find its source was strong, the need pulling from deep within her nearly overshadowing the delicate brush of fish across her fingertips. She took a deep inhale, memorizing the astringent taste and filling her lungs with the rich scent, before returning her focus to the shadows beneath the river's surface. Her hands slapped closed around the slick scales of a bream, nails digging into the soft underbelly of the fish as it tried to jolt from her grasp. She gripped its head, her thumb hooking into its mouth, fingers curling into the gills, before snapping its head back. She tossed the fish to the bank before slowly sinking her hands back into the water.
The sun hung high overhead, the warm morning breeze long gone and replaced with heat that weighed heavily over the forest. Nova stood and began walking toward the riverbank, water beading and trailing across her skin, the chill from the water sucked away as it evaporated around her. Her bare feet sank into warm sandy banks as she left the river. She bent to gather her bounty of fish and hooked her fingers through the gills to carry them toward the pile of clothing she'd left upstream earlier in the day. A small breezed kicked up around her, bringing that delicious scent back with it. She scanned her surroundings, her piercing gaze following the river and searching the tree line.
As quickly as it had appeared, the scent was gone. Nova was quick to dress, the thin fabric of her sundress clinging to her damp skin, before gathering her bounty once more and heading into the forest. Sunlight dappled through the canopy and melodious bird songs filled the air as she followed a trail worn through years of daily walks to the river, by her feet now and her mother's long before her.
A small cabin stood beneath the shade of two old sour gum trees, the surrounding grounds a patchwork of vibrant green ferns and last season's leaves decaying around them. Nova entered the cabin and dropped her bounty on the butcher block counter, the thudding of fish against the old wood too loud in the quiet room. She grabbed a basin from a nearby shelf and tucked it beneath her arm before returning outside. She walked around the cabin and toward the old well pump against the back wall. The tart scent of berries returned, stronger than by the river. She raised her face to the sky and inhaled before turning to search the forest, her eyes almost immediately landing on a large bear silently lumbering toward her. The inky black of his fur reflected a rich brown as it caught the sunlight filtering through the trees, the fading gray of his face shining a bright silver. His eyes, deep and cast in shadows, reflected a warm honey brown at the centers as he moved closer. She dropped the basin and took a few involuntary steps away from the well. She felt an invisible cord snake around her waist and pull her forward, felt a surge of warmth flood her senses.
When they met, she reached for him without a thought. His head lowered, his nose twitching against her side as it buried in the flowing fabric of her dress. She ran her fingers through the fur atop his head, trailing them down his neck and across the large ridge of his shoulders. His fur twitched beneath her touch. His heavy exhale passed through her thin clothing, a diffused fan of hot air against her skin that raised goosebumps in its wake.
"Who are you?" Her voice was quiet, muffled through the haze of desire his presence had washed across her.
He rubbed his cheek across her side before it came to rest against her stomach, his soft fur bristling through her dress and tickling her skin before he rose to stand on his back feet. He began to tower above her before his fur fell to reveal a wide expanse of thick muscles rippling beneath golden skin. Her breath hitched as her wide eyes trailed up his chest, finally coming to rest on his face as she craned her neck to look up at him. His face was carved in hard angles and exuded a power that sent a shiver down her spine.
He lifted a hand to her cheek, curling a finger to push back a strand of hair behind her ear before running his thumb along the underside of her jaw. She flinched at his gentle touch, releasing a shaking exhale as heat swelled within her. His voice was deep, his words smooth as silk as they slipped past his lips, "I didn't think the honey I sought would be this sweet."
A flush seared across her cheeks, her skin burning so hot the humid air felt like a cool autumn breeze. Nova reached for his hand before dropping her palm to rest on her chest, the temptation to touch him in return almost overpowering her senses. "You were looking for me?"
"I was looking for someone else, but Goddess blessed me with you instead." His hand traveled down her neck, the wide spread of his fingers ghosting across her skin until they stilled at the base of her throat. Something dangerous and hedonistic flashed through his eyes before he slid his hand back into the wild mass of curls at the back of her head. "Why does it feel like I've known you for years?"
She swallowed back a gasp, her voice wavering against the overwhelming intensity of his presence, "It does?"
"It's as if I've heard you crying my name before you've even learned it, as if I hold memories of touches I haven't felt yet."
Nova leaned back into his hand, shivering at the way his fingers spread across her scalp and the gentle tugging at her hair. His words, his touch, they intoxicated her beyond all reason. Her heartbeat was rapid in her chest, a pounding rhythm that interrupted her every thought. "I can't... we shouldn't-"
He stepped closer, removing the space between them. He pulled her against him, her body tensing as her cheek pressed against the hard muscles above his heart. She felt it racing, felt it matching the fervent pace of her own, and relaxed against him. He curled his fingers through her hair, grazed his other hand across the dip of her waist. "You would be a gift I'd treasure for lifetimes. You feel it already, don't you?"
She breathed in his astringent scent, the taste of ripe dewberries ghosting across her tongue with each inhale. She felt powerless against him, hypnotized by him. "I can't think. I don't know-"
His chin lowered to her shoulder, his lips a breath away from brushing her ear, "There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed."
